


Leokumi Short Stories

by ainglieur



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Festivals, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Mecha, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24713347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainglieur/pseuds/ainglieur
Summary: Just a collection of drabbles and short stories centering around Leokumi. Chapter 1 contains a directory with summaries.Recent entry: AU where Leo and Takumi are in a duo idol unit together but Leo has just released a solo music video and Takumi has a big crush.
Relationships: Leon | Leo/Takumi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi wakes up earlier than Leo, usually, but one morning Leo is also awake early. At least, sort of. (established relationship)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is to serve as a directory in case you haven't seen the updates one by one: 
> 
> Ch1: established Leokumi, sleepy morning talks
> 
> Ch2: established Leokumi, the two visit a village and Takumi discovers something unexpected about Leo's past
> 
> Ch3: Mecha AU, Leo and Takumi butt heads (literally) 
> 
> Ch4: established Leokumi, Leo attends his first bon dance
> 
> Ch5: Idol AU where Leo has a new music video out that Takumi watches

Takumi’s eyes fluttered open. He sucked in a lot of air, still recovering from the images he saw during his slumber. One breath in, another one out. His eyes took in the room around him. He was in Hoshido, in his bedroom. No, it wasn't his room, he shared it with someone. The sun was already peeking in through a pesky hole in the curtains, but the air was still cool. It was too cold for his liking, and he was immediately drawn to the warmth of the person sleeping pressed against his side. 

Leo stirred beside him, groaning as the sunlight hit his eyes. He immediately turned over to face Takumi, eyes shut tight like the very thought of the sun was disgusting to him. The Hoshidan chuckled under his breath. 

“Good morning Leo,” Takumi said, inching his face closer to the blond, a playful edge to his tone. Leo made it clear to everyone that he was  _ not  _ a morning person, but in the quiet of their bedroom he was harmless. Not that Takumi couldn't handle him in full “grumpy-pants mode,” as Elise referred to it. 

“Mm, morning,” Leo replied quietly, his words slow and slurred from drowsiness. His face contorted for a few moments, like he was struggling with a particularly complex riddle, but then his eyes opened, bleary and half lidded. He studied Takumi’s face, mouth pulled into a thoughtful frown like he wasn’t expecting it to be there so close to his own, but then the corners of his mouth tugged into a smile. 

Takumi rarely got to see Leo wake up. The brunette always got up earlier, and liked to go and do his archery practice or odd chores before the sun got too high. There was something so intensely intimate about seeing this side of such a guarded and prideful person like Leo, and currently, Takumi had it all to himself. His heart filled itself fast with endearment, warmth blossoming across his chest. 

He found himself blurting, “I love you,” and almost out of reflex wanted to take it back, but it was true wasn’t it? 

“I love you too,” Leo’s reply was almost immediate, especially considering how his mind hadn’t completely woken up yet. He still had that small smile on his face. 

Silence fell between them again, Takumi could hear the birds chirping, the sweeping of a broom outside. It wasn’t that cold anymore but he had no intention of getting up yet.

“Are you not going to say something? I don’t think I’ve ever said that out loud to you,” Takumi spoke up. Not since his sloppy confession, at least. His fancy vocabulary and quick wit during their debates didn’t seem to help him put it into words how he felt about Leo. 

Said boy was quiet, perhaps he had already fallen asleep again, and Takumi couldn’t blame him if he did. 

“What am I supposed to say? It’s not like I don’t already know,” Leo finally said, matter of fact like it was the easiest possible equation to solve (despite him taking years to figure out that Takumi had feelings for him). The air of self confident arrogance was ruined by the sleepiness in his voice. 

“But don’t you think it would be better if I was more honest about it, about my feelings for you?”

“You’re honest... just not with your words. As long as you keep making it obvious you're smitten with me you don't have to say you love me all the time," Leo said, offering what seemed to be a shrug with one shoulder. His eyes were closed again like he was only a heartbeat away from drifting off to dreamland. Takumi took a second to take in what he'd heard. He  _ was _ pretty obvious wasn’t he? His whole family noticed how much attention and special treatment he gave Leo, even before they started courting. 

Takumi opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by a loud yawn. “If you  _ really _ loved me you would let me go back to sleep,” the blond grumbled, pulling the blanket up to his nose. 

“Right, right,” Takumi assured, followed by an airy laugh. 

Leo probably didn’t realize it, but while half asleep he was most likely the smartest man in the universe, at least Takumi thought so. Or maybe it was just the finality with how he voiced his sleepy thoughts, like it was incredibly simple, and so it had to be true. Takumi reached out and pulled Leo towards his chest, which Leo seemed to readily accept, probably because the Hoshidan was currently a good shield for sunlight. 

He gave the blond a kiss on the top of his head, tousled blond hair tickling his nose. Takumi closed his eyes. The sun was now shining directly into his face but he already made up his mind that he was going to stay until Leo woke up properly. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This entry: Takumi finds out something unexpected from Leo's past.

Cluck- cluck cluck cluck!

Chickens ran past Leo as he followed Takumi through the small marketplace of the village. It was peaceful here, the sort of quiet that one could only experience in the countryside. Two little children chased after the chickens, giggling and grabbing at fallen feathers. Leo stepped backwards just before one of them crashed into him. 

Women were sitting outside, weaving thin leaves together and chatting with each other. There were only a handful of stalls in the area, selling numerous crops, game, and household items. One vendor was taking a snooze in his chair, a bamboo hat pulled over his eyes. Leo closed his eyes as a breeze blew dust from the road into his face. This tiny village was right along the Nohr-Hoshido border, and from the look of it, was starting to return to peace after years of conflict. 

Leo glanced at the Hoshidan at his side. They had been dating for three months now, and although romance was difficult with the cramped carriage rides and uncomfortable inn beds, Leo found himself always wanting to be with him. Takumi was doing a quick survey of his surroundings, carrying a little piece of parchment on a board to write his observations down. He noticed Leo’s gaze and gave his boyfriend a gentle smile.

"Are you alright Leo? You've been looking a little pale since we got here," the Hoshidan asked, swapping his pen into his left hand to free his right. He gave Leo’s hand a light squeeze. 

"It's just your imagination Takumi," Leo replied, shaking his head. He admitted he was feeling a little sweaty, but it had nothing to do with his physical health. 

"Alright, if you say so," Leo had already walked on ahead and he trotted to catch up. “But if you need to go back to our lodging and rest just let me know okay?” The blond nodded. 

They approached a man stationed in the middle of the square, who kept all the books on merchants selling in the area. He was friendly, with creases around his eyes and mouth from laughter, and a long grey mustache. Takumi asked him the usual questions about the economy within the village and whether they required more aid from the capital. Leo stood nearby, hiding himself as best he could behind the slightly smaller Hoshidan.

"Hey," the old man called out looking directly at Leo, “I dunno why but you sure look familiar…" He peered at the Nohrian prince, squinting his eye and stroking his mustache. 

"You must be mistaken, good sir, this is my first time visiting the border on Hoshido's side," Leo brusquely denied. He turned to Takumi and grabbed his arm. "Takumi, we should move on so we can get through all these stalls in one day." 

"Huh? But it's such a small town it shouldn't take too long," The other prince gave him a quizzical look. Leo frantically searched for another excuse but was interrupted by the local. 

"I remember now!" the man proclaimed, his palms hitting the table. Leo flinched. "You- you used to come here to get tomatoes, you would get them past the border while Nohr was closed off for trade! Why, it’s true, I’d recognize your mug anywhere!" 

Takumi blinked, looking to Leo and then back at the old man. 

"Wait, you... You smuggled tomatoes into Nohr?!" he exclaimed. 

"A-and some other things," Leo replied sheepishly. He noticed the old man excitedly leave his post. 

"That's incredible. You broke the law. In both of our countries."

"I'm well aware of what I did, thank you very much," Leo put his head in his hands, his ears feeling warm from embarrassment. 

The villager returned with others in tow and Leo groaned. 

"This is him! The Nohrian guy who used to buy all of our extra tomatoes! And he was the prince too!" The group cooed in awe. 

Leo wasn't quite sure what to say. He stopped these activities shortly before Queen Mikoto's assassination and it had been a long time since he contacted the village. 

"Thank you, Prince Leo," a woman spoke up. 

"Yeah, even though we had really good tomatoes the central cities are more well known for them and no one wanted to visit the border during the conflict," another man pitched in. 

"We have village pegasi now! Our crops can be delivered to the big cities!" the old man exclaimed. 

"Well would you look at that. You really helped these people out," Takumi was starting to look a little smug. Leo wanted to hide in a hole. This whole thing was becoming such an ordeal. The crowd took turns asking Leo questions, assuring him their tomatoes were always reserved for him, shaking his hands. Finally, _ finally _ , Takumi interrupted, pulling Leo away and telling the villagers that the Nohrian prince was still exhausted from travel and needed a nap. The crowd listened, but promised to bring the two of them some souvenirs and snacks for later.

"You're not going to tell anyone are you?" The blond asked as they walked away. What he meant specifically was please don't tell Ryoma. Or Xander. 

"No, but I figure sooner or later these people will have a statue of you," Leo glared at him and he looked away, stifling his laughter. "Actually, some things are starting to make sense," Takumi's gaze caught Leo’s. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Like how you seem to know a little bit of Hoshido's native dialect despite having barely visited. You always pretend you don't though. Do you remember when you walked in on me and Hinoka talking before a banquet and you asked if we would need help getting more rice? I always thought that was strange because I told her about the rice shortage in our dialect," Takumi explained.

"Ah." Leo remembered that pretty clearly, Takumi bugged him about it for several days and he tried to chalk it up to a "really good guess." But it was true he knew some of the dialect, most of his learning due to his business dealings.

"So how much Hoshidan do you know?" 

"Mostly just food and money related words, numbers, some emotions." 

"Fairly useful vocabulary to have," Takumi said and nodded in approval. "You should teach me Nohr's dialect too then." 

"What for? So you can smuggle things too?" 

"Of course not," he got quiet, "I just think, y'know, like if we end up spending our lives together we might decide to stay in Nohr… or something." 

Leo was taken aback. Was Takumi already thinking about things like that, marriage, living together, making a family? It was much too soon. He didn’t let himself think about those kinds of things, just in case he was sent away or had to be married off. Or if Takumi had to do so as well. It scared him. The Hoshidan must have noticed him tense up and he cried out, "I know it's too soon! And things might not work out but I just can't really imagine life without you? Even if we're just friends or-" 

"I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. We both have no idea what will happen in the future. But Nohr will always be your neighbor, so I think you could benefit from learning Nohrian. And I want to be the one who teaches you," Leo smiled. 

“Thank you,” Takumi said. They reached the inn they were staying at, and the owner was already gushing about Leo at the reception area. Word spread way too fast in villages like this. 

They returned to their room in the far back of the building, some tenants ogling them as they passed. “What sort of things would you like to learn first? I have a suggestion, how about learning to say ‘Leo is the smartest man I’ve ever met’?” the Nohrian prince smirked.

Takumi rolled his eyes. “Let’s start with the basics first. Greetings and the like. Unless you really want me to go around gushing about you to anyone who will listen?”

Leo pinked. “I don’t want that actually,” he shook his head wearily, “the basics it is then.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading as always! I feel like I read somewhere that one of the creators felt as though Leo would be the type to smuggle things out of Hoshido. Maybe I just imagined it but either way I kind of wanted to explore the concept in some capacity.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This entry: AU where everyone in the royal family pilots mechas and Leo is a bit of an enigma.

Nestled deep in the mountains was the Hoshido base Jinya. It was an enormous fortress carved into the mountainside, with large ports that could accept robots of all sizes. It housed thousands of soldiers and boasted impressive facilities that made it one of the most desirable locations to be stationed in all of the continent. 

There was a loud metallic clanking as Fuujin landed at Jinya, engines slowing to a stop as the giant robot whirred into a resting position. Hisses emitted from the bot as the cockpit opened to release its rider. Takumi, already having pulled his helmet off, slid out with his belongings tucked under his arm. 

Two people in the hangar ran up to Fuujin, their forms tiny from atop the bot. 

"Yo! So how was it?" a young man with dark brown hair styled into a ponytail called out. He had a big scar along his cheek and an even bigger smile. 

"Pretty uneventful, I was only required to escort Sakura's bot down to those Nohrian scum so we weren't really on anyone's radar," Takumi shrugged, pulling on a jacket. 

"Aw man I still wish we could've come with you. You should've seen Oboro I thought she was going to snap the commander's neck for not authorizing us to come with," the man continued.

"I was not!" the woman at his side responded, exasperated, "I just think it's insane that she allowed a mission with just the two of you!" She was protective as always. 

These two were Hinata and Oboro, Takumi's most trusted friends and skilled Hoshidan pilots. They bickered while he worked the small machine at the entrance to register Fuujin’s landing. 

"Well now that Takumi's back let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" Hinata exclaimed, probably because he had lost the argument. 

“Sounds good to me,” Takumi replied. He wanted to get back to Hoshido right away and skipped breakfast that morning, and getting changed could wait until afterwards.

The trio made their way down the immaculate, tidy, and brightly lit corridors towards the heart of the base. Rounding the corner they ran into a crowd of people, all facing the entrance of the mess hall. There was a low hum of murmuring and excited chatter as people pushed and shoved each other to get a good look at whatever was in the hall. 

Suddenly the crowd parted and the target of their admiration strutted out into the hallway. Takumi immediately recognized him as one of the Nohrian pilots, accompanied by two colleagues. They were dressed completely in black, the pilot wearing a tight plugsuit with thick padding as was common in Nohr’s military. 

The Nohrian pilot's name was Leo. People had dozens of nicknames for him, Dark Knight, Midnight Rider, Black Paladin, and any sort of combination of darkness and a warrior. Once Takumi overheard him referred to as Tomato Prince but he wasn’t sure if that was as innocent and ridiculous as it sounded or if there was some sort of gruesome backstory to it. Leo was known for his merciless offense on the battlefield along with his insurmountable skill at maneuvering his bot, a fearsome and heavily armored mech called Brynhildr. He was also the topic of much gossip, for no one had ever seen him take off his helmet. Naturally there were tons of rumors about what was underneath. Some surmised that he had scars all over his face, or ugly burns from a fierce battle. Others thought he might secretly be a Hoshidan who defected to Nohr's army. 

But it didn't matter. Takumi hated him. Arrogant prick. 

The countries of Hoshido and Nohr held a fragile alliance with each other, on account of a recent extraterrestrial threat. This so-called threat felt like a big hoax to Takumi, who felt like it was something those shady Nohrians would concoct to gain their trust. Things got even worse when the Nohrians were granted permission to dock their mechas at Hoshidan bases. Now pricks like the Midnight Rider were constantly hanging around on his turf. 

The pack of Nohrians exited without giving the crowd so much as a second glance, and Takumi cursed to himself that even he had stopped to stare. He and Oboro pulled Hinata away, who was standing with a starry look in his eyes, and pushed past the others to get into the cafeteria. 

“Man that Dark Knight guy is so cool right? He’s got this menacing aura to him. Like I know Reina is the commander around here but I bet he wouldn’t even take orders from her,” Hinata rambled, chewing on yakisoba bread. 

“If he’s going to be allowed to stay at Jinya he better be listening to her,” Oboro muttered. While Hinata was enamored by some of the more powerful Nohrian pilots, Oboro despised all of them. Takumi agreed with her on that. 

“He’s not that cool anyway, Ryouma’s way stronger than him. Nohrians think they’re so powerful just because they have a bit of extra metal plastered on their bots,” Takumi rolled his eyes, poking at a boiled egg on his plate. 

"Takumi's way stronger too I bet," Oboro chimed in. To this Hinata enthusiastically agreed and Takumi felt himself blush, now paying extra attention to the egg on his plate.

\-----

On days where he had no missions, Takumi took his bot to the training range. Fuujin was mostly used for shooting at long distances as it was equipped with several long barreled cannons but it didn’t hurt to practice close combat in case the situation ever arose. He focused his energy on moving quickly, as Fuujin was a relatively small bot, though not quite as small as Sakura’s Sakuyabime. Even though their enemies were no longer the Nohrians, he always imagined his quick stabs and blows were directed at all the places where the Nohrian mechas had the least amount of armor. 

On the following day, when most of the on-duty pilots left for their tasks, Takumi had the chance to change into his plugsuit and get down to the training range. All of their uniforms were stored in a locker room located just before the main hangars. 

When he opened the door, Takumi’s eyes immediately noticed that standing in the locker room was none other than the Dark Paladin, Leo himself. Takumi cursed under his breath. He stomped over to his locker, making a point to be loud about it. Despite having changed in there a million times he felt a little shy now, wondering if the Nohrian was judging his appearance. 

Shoving his clothes into a bag he turned around to see Leo blocking his way while fiddling with the small communicator device on his wrist. There was another route to the door but… 

“Get out of my way,” Takumi growled, much more aggressively than necessary. Leo didn’t even look up, continuing his adjustments as if Takumi was nothing more than a bug on the wall. 

"I said move." Takumi snarled again, louder. 

"I think it’s clear I don't want to," Leo replied coolly. Takumi couldn't see his face but it was probably twisted into an annoying expression. How he wished for his fist to connect with this guy’s jaw. 

Out of frustration, and maybe just a little stupidity, Takumi lunged forward and bashed his head against Leo’s. They were both wearing helmets so it’s not like it would hurt the guy. Leo staggered backwards into the door and Takumi almost felt accomplished until he noticed that the visor of the Nohrian helmet now had massive cracks running along it. 

The cracked helmet lit up and beeped dramatically. 

"Danger. Damage to exterior. Remove immediately. Danger. Damage has exceeded safe limits. Danger.” a high pitched robotic voice droned on repeat. 

He didn't expect his headbutt would completely break the thing. Although he heard recently that Nohr was cutting corners with their riders' safety equipment to funnel more money into strengthening their mechas. 

Takumi heard a hiss from Leo and watched as the helmet split itself and pieces of it fell to the ground with a clatter. He held his breath, hoping that he didn’t actually hurt Leo, because Commander Reina would probably suspend him for weeks. 

He looked nothing like what the rumors said. There were no scars or burns, his skin was smooth and unblemished. He had long eyelashes that drew attention to his deep red eyes. They were like the color of blood. His hair was a light blond color, and it framed his face and fell towards his eyes, slightly mussed from wearing the helmet. It looked really soft and silky, like it was well cared for. Leo’s lips were pulled back in a snarl but they were thin and pink and probably soft too. Nothing about him seemed particularly odd and he was most certainly not a traitorous Hoshidan. 

In fact, he looked delicate. And kinda pretty. 

“...” Takumi swore under his breath for the horrible, awful, extremely terrible thought he just had.

Leo sighed in annoyance and forcefully opened his locker again, the door slamming into the locker next to it. He grabbed a hoodie and put it on over his plugsuit, and pulled the hood up to cover his hair. The Hoshidan decided not to make things worse than he already did and slipped out as fast as he could, praying that Leo wouldn’t report the incident to his supervisors. It was partially Leo’s fault too right? 

While Takumi scurried back to the common area, he had a thought. It made some sense now why Leo never took his helmet off while sauntering through the Hoshidan base. He looked almost too young to be a seasoned pilot, and people would think he was just pulling their legs if someone with his looks claimed to be the person piloting Brynhildr. Takumi himself was treated like that all the time. If that was his reason then Takumi could understand why he swathed himself in secrecy all the time. 

\--------

“Wait you’ve seen his face?!” Hinata shouted, causing some heads to turn.

“Sssssssh!” Takumi put an arm around Hinata’s neck and pulled him closer. They were at the mess hall for breakfast. Oboro was still in line for some porridge so Takumi decided to bring up the incident from the day before. “We don’t need other people to come asking!” Luckily Leo didn’t seem to have reported anything to Reina but Takumi couldn’t risk the possibility of him coming forward if rumors started spreading about the two of them. 

“Yeah….” Hinata brought his voice down to a whisper, “So? He has a really cool scar? Or it’s like a big burn covering half his face from a battle he barely survived?“ He watched way too many action movies. 

Takumi shook his head. "It's nothing like that at all, he just looks like some regular guy. Like, around our age." Hinata visibly deflated at this. 

“Well I guess that doesn’t change that he’s awesome on the battlefield… Odin says he’s the strongest at forcefield type fighting. Imagine using your shields to fight!” The brunette bounced back. 

“Wait, Odin is that Nohrian guy right? You talk to him?” 

“Oops… Yeah we were hanging out around here at the same time and we just kinda hit it off…” 

“It’s fine Hinata, just be careful about what you say around him,” Takumi assured. He was surprised but Odin seemed to be a genuine guy, if not a little weird.

Hinata and Odin… Takumi couldn’t imagine himself being able to talk so casually with a Nohrian. His mind flicked back to the image of Leo’s face. No, he absolutely could not be friends with someone like that, no matter how much they might actually have in common. It was ridiculous that yesterday’s encounter plagued his thoughts so much. Maybe he actually wished that Leo did have something juicier to hide, and his mind was trying to piece together something he may not have noticed then. If he figured it out he would have more leverage over the Nohrian pilot.

Regardless, Leo put a lot of effort to hide his face, and Takumi had seen it. And if he had to guess, Leo was currently seething that Takumi was the one who knew. That brought him comfort. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Hoshido I decided to keep the theme of gods/goddesses so hinoka is likely amaterasu (mostly bc her name and how hoshido fits a sun theme) sakura's was harder, i named hers after Konohanasakuyahime the goddess of the mountains because her name means blossoming cherry tree princess but thats an incredibly long name so I had to find other names for her. She's also called Sengen (Asama), but since Azama's jp name is Asama it seems weird. I can imagine in Hoshido non royalty have bots named after mountains and rivers. 
> 
> Nohr's weapons are germanic so I actually genuinely know nothing about that... and it wasn't super important since Camilla and Elise do not appear here. If anyone wants to think about that they can. Non royalty in Nohr probably have their bots named after cities. Anyway. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo attends his first bon dance in Hoshido.

“Are you coming to the rehearsal, Leo?” Xander asked. He stood in the doorway, Ryouma accompanying him. 

Leo blinked. He wasn’t aware there was a rehearsal, and whatever was it for? 

“Rehearsal?” he repeated.

“Before the festival starts they hold rehearsals so people can know ahead of time which songs and dances they will play this year. Some people have been rehearsing for weeks,” Xander explained.

“It’s alright, Prince Leo. Not everyone feels the need to go. The dances are simple enough to follow without much practice. They just need a handful of people who know the dance to lead the rest of the crowd,” Ryouma chimed in.

“I see. I’d like to see the rehearsals if that’s alright.” Leo spent all morning looking for Takumi, who wasn’t at the archery range or the dining hall. He never did manage to locate the man, so maybe watching his brother dance would be a better use of his time. There was little else to do in Hoshido when everyone was only thinking about the upcoming festival. 

The trio made their way to the main temple courtyard, where a group had already gathered for the rehearsals. 

This year was the first time the Nohrian royalty had an opportunity to partake in this particular festival (out of the many that Hoshido held annually). Unfortunately, Corrin was unable to attend, as Valla was facing some internal struggles they would not share with Leo. 

The Nohrians were told that the dances at this festival were performed to honor the dead, and Leo supposed it would be nice to celebrate those that fought fiercely with them in the war and never came home to celebrate with everyone. 

The young Nohrian prince scanned the event grounds. The temple courtyard was already decorated with strings of pink lanterns that ended at a tall wooden scaffold wrapped in red and white cloth. Colorful banners hung from the fences and a wall of multi colored lanterns was installed near the entrance. Several people were busy setting up stalls on the outer edges of the courtyard. These stalls were adorned with flower arrangements and hand painted signs advertising their wares. 

Xander and Ryoma took their places within the crowd and Leo almost snorted at the sight. Majority of the rehearsal participants were petite old women, surprisingly lithe for their ages. The two men towered over them. The only other men were a couple of drummers who were providing beats for the singer. Leo watched as his brother got scolded by the wizened woman next to him, probably because he looked too stiff and intimidating, when he noticed the object of his affection exit the main temple.

“Takumi! Where have you been? You weren’t at the archery range this morning,” Leo called out, rushing over to Takumi’s side. 

“I was helping them set up the yagura. That tall wooden tower in the courtyard there,” Takumi said, gesturing towards the scaffolding wrapped in cloth. “Sorry I forgot to mention it last night.” 

“I see. Are you done setting it up now?”

Takumi nodded, stretching his arms outward and above him. The two exchanged glances before scurrying off to the first secluded area they could find. That happened to be next to a big tree behind one of the stone fences.

Leo pushed Takumi against the stone, his hand tilting the Hoshidan’s chin up. They locked lips, hands tangling in each other’s hair. The first few days in Hoshido were always like this, fervent and passionate. They were quick to deepen the kiss, Takumi opening his mouth to let Leo’s tongue in. 

The Nohrian prince decided early on in their relationship that he quite liked Hoshido clothing. It was easy to slip his hands under the collar and run them against Takumi's bare chest. Leo squeezed slightly at Takumi’s chest, eliciting a soft moan from him. This was quickly replaced by a giggle when Leo’s hand ventured lower down the Hoshidan’s body. Takumi was very ticklish. 

"Leo, we're outside," Takumi whispered hastily when they stopped to breathe. His eyes were half lidded in contentment and he did nothing to stop Leo’s hands so the blond saw no reason to pull them away. In response, Takumi wrapped his arms around the Nohrian’s waist, resting his hands on Leo’s buttocks. _So much for being modest outside,_ Leo thought to himself, giggling against Takumi’s lips. 

After several long kisses, they parted away breathlessly. Leo straightened his headband with both hands, still leaning against Takumi. He finally noticed the music from the rehearsal blaring loudly from the courtyard, which he didn’t seem to hear over the sound of his own pounding heart and the blood rushing through his ears. 

“You don’t do the dance rehearsals?” Leo asked, nestling his face in the crook of Takumi's neck. 

“Not really, I’ve gone to these festivals almost every year of my life so you get the hang of it. They always play the Byakuya Ondo first and a few more regional favorites after,” Takumi replied with a half hearted shrug. He gently stroked Leo's hair with the back of his hand. Leo’s eyes fluttered shut and he indulged himself with the familiar feeling of his lover’s hand on his head for a few moments. 

"Maybe we should join the others again before they come looking for us." He pulled himself away, planting a kiss on the hand that was stroking his hair. Their families knew about their relationship by now, but that didn’t make the concept of their brothers catching them slacking to cuddle behind a tree any less mortifying. 

“Good idea. Ryouma wants me to eventually check whether all the vendors signed in,” Takumi agreed, although he looked disappointed. 

\----

When the sun began to dip below the horizon and streaks of purple stretched across the sky, the royal families of Nohr and Hoshido sat down for a grand feast before changing into their festival-going outfits. Leo now owned several yukata for his summer visits to Hoshido and opted for one of his light colored ensembles, because everyone complained about how dark his wardrobe was. Camilla decided to match Hinoka this year and they both wore outfits with butterfly patterns sewn into the cloth. Elise had a modified yukata made with Nohrian fabrics and decorated with frills, something that Oboro mentioned she was working on after discovering an appreciation for Nohrian fashion. 

When the group arrived at the temple, there was an announcement that the dance was about to begin. Leo was handed a paper fan and towel to be used in several of the dance numbers. The fan had a cute kinshi painted on it, which was the work of Sakura, and Takumi gave a vague threat about what would happen if he lost it. They then joined the others around the yagura.

“Just pay attention to the person in the first row, and follow their movements,” Takumi instructed.

“That’s a little hard to see though.” The two of them were standing four rows away from the center and most of the first row participants were much shorter than the people standing behind them. Xander, of course, stuck out very much but he was halfway across the circle and Leo didn’t entirely trust him to be a good lead. “Why don’t you stand in front of me so I can just copy you?” Leo urged.

“Picky!” Takumi exclaimed, but he moved into the row ahead of Leo anyway. He turned and flashed a smile. “Pay close attention okay?” 

The sound of beating drums filled the crisp night air and an old woman ascended the yagura to sing over the crowd. The rest of the musicians joined in, playing a lively tune. Takumi began raising his right arm high above his head and the left arm only up to his shoulder level, his feet stepping along with the rhythm. His face wasn’t visible from behind but his long ponytail swished gently with his movements. Leo wondered if Takumi knew how gracefully he moved. 

The movements of the dance were simple enough, raising arms and moving them in arches from one side to another, the occasional clap. It followed a certain pattern too, moving first to the right then to the left, stopping to clap, then moving forward and back. Every once in a while the crowd would shout along with the song, a slight hop in their step when they did. Leo knew he looked stiff, he certainly _felt_ stiff, but he also thought he was getting the hang of it. That was before he stepped forward after their clapping, realizing in horror that Takumi turned backwards. They collided, Takumi's raised arm jabbing Leo in the collarbone, Leo's foot kicking into Takumi's shin. 

It was obvious that it was Leo’s mistake to move forward as the rest of the crowd continued moving back. He could feel his face flush in embarrassment at his blunder. Takumi merely straightened himself up, giving a laugh that was barely audible over the music, before jumping back into the dance.

The first song came to an end, the second one starting almost immediately afterwards. Dozens of people began moving in and out of the circles as some decided to leave and others wanted to join in. Leo used the opportunity to slip away, catching a glimpse of Camilla beaming at her siblings from a distance, her hands set on her cheeks in adoration. She blinked in surprise as she noticed Leo stepping away, her smile replaced by a silent 'oh.' Feeling embarrassed again, especially because his sister probably witnessed his collision with Takumi, he ducked past a Hoshidan couple before Camilla could react. 

Away from the dance scene were the rows of stalls, most selling food but some had displays of intricate handmade goods. The lines were long for the yakitori and yakisoba, as festival goers were eager to fill up on a greasy dinner. It wasn’t quite the time for desserts yet, so those lines were much shorter.

Leo lingered near a shaved ice vendor. While he was unfamiliar with some of the sweets being sold, he had a lot of experience with shaved ice. Hoshidan summers were hot, way too hot, and his entire family partook in it when they visited. It helped that the sweetness could be adjusted to accommodate all of them. Leo craned his neck to peer at the list of flavors and toppings. He was fairly impressed by the selection this vendor was able to store at the small stall. They even had the option to add sweetened milk, which wasn’t a common beverage in Hoshido. 

"There you are!" Takumi called out from behind him. 

“Here I am,” Leo responded in kind.

"Why did you disappear without saying anything? I didn't notice you were gone until the song had already started," the Hoshidan had sweat dripping down his brow and he eyed Leo nervously. 

“I’m just not very good at this. I think it’d be an insult to the spirits if I kept going,” Leo lamented. 

“Of course not! The whole thing is about forgetting your worries Leo, I’m sure the spirits aren’t going to be angry just because you messed up a few moves. I have a feeling they have other things to worry about.”

“But I bumped into you once already, who knows how many times I’ll end up doing that if I continued dancing.”

“I mean, I’m glad it was me you bumped into and not someone else,” Takumi admitted. 

"Nothing more scandalous than accidentally giving a concussion to someone who isn't your lover," Leo replied dryly. 

Takumi shook his head in exasperation, a smile playing on his lips. “I think that means you can bump into me whenever you’d like.” 

"Would that make us even? You stepped on my toes sixteen times at our last ballroom dance,” Leo recalled, placing a hand on his chin. 

Takumi visibly bristled, his face turning pink. “D-Did you have to remind me? And why did you count it?!” he sputtered.

“Once the numbness in your feet sets in you get curious. Actually, why do you always dance with me at Nohrian parties? You don’t particularly like attending anyway and dancing with me puts you right in the center of attention.” Leo turned his gaze to warm brown eyes.

“I don’t know… I guess I don’t like the idea of you dancing with someone else. And you seem to have fun when we dance,” Takumi said shyly. "Although I'm not certain if it comes from a love for the art of dance or because you like to watch me suffer." He regained his composure and gave Leo a scolding look. 

"Have you ever considered that I may be enjoying the dance because it's with you, particularly?" the blond teased.

"The idea did cross my mind, yes." 

Leo chuckled. Sixteen times was almost too many times to get his feet stomped on by the wooden soles of Takumi’s sandals, but he would do it all over again if the opportunity ever arose. He wondered if that was the kind of feeling Takumi had right now, even though this Hoshidan dance was nowhere near as close contact as a Nohrian waltz. “This must be where I realize I like dancing with you, too. Here in Hoshido,” he mused.

“Well, do you?” 

"Frankly I only participated in one song, so I'm not very sure." Leo was certain that he liked watching Takumi dance, because the Hoshidan prince was beautiful and had the most radiant smile plastered on his face, but whether that translated to wanting to dance alongside him was still up for debate. 

“Should we do another then?” Takumi grasped at his hand. “Or do you want something to eat first? The lines for sweets do get long as the night continues.” 

“Let’s dance first, I daresay if I fail miserably I’ll want shaved ice as consolation.” The blond let the other lead him back into the crowd.

“I’ll treat you then, if that happens,” Takumi laughed. 

They joined the circle at the start of a new song. Leo didn’t crash into Takumi again, although he did slip up many, many times. He knew that it was expected of him but he couldn’t help the flush creeping up his face every time it happened. Eventually even the graceful Hoshidan prince managed to make several mistakes, but Leo supposed that was because neither of them attended the rehearsals. Ryouma and Hinoka were rather exceptional at every dance, at least as far as Leo noticed, which was whenever he wasn’t preoccupied with the sight of Takumi. He did manage to catch a glimpse of Xander raising the wrong arm and dropping his fan. That managed to calm his nerves just a little. 

\-----

“What do you think now?” Takumi asked, as they headed back to Castle Shirasagi. His tongue was dyed a bright yellow from the shaved ice he had earlier. Leo couldn’t help but want to kiss him, just to see if the blue on his own tongue would mix with the yellow. 

“I’m thinking that I’m probably not going to join in on all this next year.” Leo yawned, rolling his shoulders to get some of the stiffness out. His feet were beginning to hurt from all the stomping. 

“For some reason I don’t believe you,” the Hoshidan responded. He was probably right, because if Takumi asked him to do all of this again next year, Leo would do it in a heartbeat. 

And, if he had to be honest, he was developing a taste for the upbeat energy of Hoshidan festivals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I haven't written in a while... oops. Honestly since Obon is based in Buddhist tradition which isn't really present in Fire Emblem lore I've been hesitant to write about it.... But FEH introduced the Hoshidan summer banner years ago which means they don't really care. Good to know!
> 
> This is dedicated to the one or two young men at local bon dance who lead the dance with all the grandmas and turn around to tell you that you did a good job when all you did was step on people's feet. 
> 
> Also as a side note, chapter 1 now contains a directory of the contents of this fic, which I should've accounted for ahead of time. Sorry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Leo and Takumi are a duo idol unit together, but Leo has a new solo with a music video that just came out.

It starts with a sunset over a field. Then Leo appears in a simple white button up, gazing out into the distance. He’s singing along with the music. The scene changes and he’s sitting in a dark room with a small window above him. He’s wearing a long black coat in this scene. The chorus starts and he’s back in the field again, dancing as the camera circles around him. It switches to the dark room, where Leo is holding a metallic blue butterfly with gold speckles. He brings the butterfly to his lips and it disappears in a burst of light. The CGI there is really good. Now he is standing in an empty street in the same white shirt as the field scenes. It starts raining, drenching his clothes and dripping down his face.

The music video ends. 

"Gods, he's so hot," Takumi whispers aloud. The rain scene particularly, the way it was brimming with vulnerability and the slight transparency of the wet clothes clinging to his frame. 

Takumi replays the second half of the video and wonders if his new music video will have a similar theme. Their agency loves having them complement each other, in themes, costumes, all the way down to their promotional color schemes.

He scrolls down the site after watching the video again, the views already toppling 200,000 despite it having been uploaded a few hours ago. Leo's newest solo is a big deal on the internet, his first solo work in years. 

His eyes skim the top comment, one with over one thousand likes:

“at 2:15 leo kisses a blue butterfly and it looks a lot like the one takumi wears in ldg and then at 4:36 theres a poster in the foreground thats for IF;s first live, which was takumis first group.

is this song about takumi? 👀”

"What?!" Takumi yells, loud enough for his neighbor's dog to start barking in response. It’s true, the butterfly looks like the one he wore for their Lonely Dreaming Girl music video. He checks that video just to make sure. Clearly they still keep that prop around in the studio, it’s not like their agency has a ton of money for new ones. The poster on the street where it rains does look like the one for Takumi’s first concert under his previous group. It’s different in some ways since they can’t use the real one but it is definitely a nod to that concert. 

Leo is known to be very deliberate with his music videos and lyrical choices but surely he didn’t make this song to imply it has something to do with Takumi? But Leo is also good at fanservice and knows that his fans love to theorize so he drops these kinds of hints as much as he can. 

Takumi takes a deep breath. That silly little comment got to his head and he wishes he never read it in the first place. He’s supposed to be a professional after all. 

He hears keys jangling at the front door and the lock clicks open. In walks Leo himself. Takumi startles, unable to close out the tab before the blond could see it. 

“Oh so you saw it,” Leo says, eyeing Takumi’s screen. He looks tired. 

“Yeah did you already?” Takumi responds nonchalantly. 

“No, let me see." Leo makes his way to the table and hovers behind Takumi. He stands closer than Takumi would have preferred in the moment, but he relents and plays the video for Leo to see. 

Leo grunts half heartedly as the music video comes to an end. 

"By the way, the butterfly in the video… it looks like the one I wore. Also there's a parody of my old band right?" Takumi asks, trying not to sound nervous about it. Leo's making his way towards the hallway.

“Those are your props, yes,” he says, stopping to turn to Takumi.

“And?! Did the agency make you pick them?”

“No, I wanted to. The song does have something to do with you after all,” Leo replies plainly. He plods away to their room and shuts the door behind him. Takumi sits, dumbfounded, his jaw dropped. Leo can’t just admit something like that can he? He hears the creak of Leo's bed and turns back to his computer, clicking on the replay button for the new music video. 

Takumi used to be a fan of Leo's music, and he emphasizes the "used to" with anyone who remembers that part of his life. Leo was a famous singer, but poor management led to him signing on with a smaller company, the one Takumi was under. This agency, for whatever reason, decided that since Takumi's former group disbanded he would be a good match for Leo, even though there were four other guys from IF that Leo could've been paired with. Takumi thought it was like a dream come true. Until he found out how much of a pompous prick Leo actually was. 

That's why it's really stupid of him actually, that Takumi has such a massive crush on the guy. And it's not the glittery idol Leo that he pines for, but the real one, the annoying one that he shares a cramped apartment with. The one who has a funny endearing face when he's woken up, the one who puts his clothes on backwards, the one who is harsh during dance practice but surprisingly kind during breaks. Yes, Takumi thinks that he might be the biggest idiot in the world. 

After drying his hair and checking his schedule for the next day, Takumi retires to their room. 

Leo is, unsurprisingly, still awake. For all he feigns indifference towards his own work, he spends days worrying about how well it'll sell. 

"So what's up with the song having something to do with me?" Takumi asks, super casually. 

"Nothing exciting. I just wanted to remind my fans that I'm part of a duo now, things are different," Leo responds. 

"Oh." 

Leo elaborates, "I still get so much fan mail asking me to go back to my old music style and to return to solo work." Takumi feels himself start to tremble and he quickly climbs the ladder to his bunk to hide that from Leo. "But if it's alright with you, I'd like to stay as a duo. It's surprisingly fun," the blond finishes. 

Takumi's heart skips a beat. "If it's alright with me? You're the one who makes all the money for us. If anything I should be asking _you_ ," he says, pulling his blanket up to his chin.

"That's not true." Leo sighs. "But I'm not going to argue that with you right now. You're really dense about that kind of stuff." Takumi hears him get out of bed, likely to finally get something to eat. 

"Why are you so good at saying nice things and then ending it with an insult?" Takumi yells after him. 

Leo is busy doing promotion work for his mini album the next day, and Takumi hardly sees him. When he arrives home, Leo is not there. 

Takumi tosses his bag on the couch and rolls up his sleeves. Leo will probably not be back for a few hours so he'll have full reign of the kitchen. He leans his phone against a jar of utensils, pulling up one of his family's recipes. 

"I'm back," Leo says quietly when he comes in through the front door. He stops in his tracks. 

The dining table is set for two, with bowls and utensils laid out, and a bottle of wine sitting between some glasses. There's a little card that says "Congrats!" in Takumi's handwriting folded in the middle. 

"Oh, you're back. I thought we could celebrate your new release together so I made dinner." Takumi appears from the kitchen with a pot in his hands. 

"You bought drinks too?" Leo asks. 

"Yeah and I got some ice cream as well, it's not anything fancy since we're struggling performers but there's some cookies in the cupboard to eat it with if you're feeling adventurous," Takumi says with a shrug. He takes the bowl sitting in front of Leo and ladles some stew into it, filling it dangerously close to the top. He shuffles back to the kitchen to get the rice. The two of them sit down to eat. 

"I like this," Leo finally speaks up in the middle of the meal. 

"Thanks? I added more tomatoes than the recipe called for," Takumi mumbles. 

"No, I mean, I like _this_." Leo gestures around the room. "I like having someone to celebrate with after a new release, it's nice." He has a small smile on his face that he tries to hide by turning his head away. 

"Oh. I see. Well you better because I put a lot of effort into this meal." Takumi's heart is pounding, and he busies himself with pouring out more wine. 

"I didn't think you cared that much about my solo." Leo smirks. 

"Alright, so I care about your success. So what?" Takumi mutters defiantly. 

"Don't tell me you care about _me_ too? Is this what a real partnership feels like?" 

"Shut up!" Takumi shouts, his face reddening. Leo's still smirking and if Takumi had any less self control he thinks he would wipe that smirk off that face with his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this sitting around for a while. I think I know less words all of a sudden though so it ends awkwardly, sorry.


End file.
